Vita PSN - Urban Trial Freestyle - Out 2/19 - $9.99 - Trials on Your Vita

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-SgXlomdeA

We are getting closer to releasing Urban Trial Freestyle – and since we’ve focused on the PS3 version, we thought it was time to shed more light on the PS Vita version.

Both versions of Urban Trial Freestyle feature the same proprietary physics engine (called Elephant Engine), so in terms of being a trial biking experience, PS Vita and PS3 are quite similar. Both platforms also feature the same game modes, outfits and motorbike customization. PS Vita is a really powerful machine — as a development team, we were able to include all the same features as those on the PS3 version.

Still, there are some differences between the two versions, including events and background action, billboards and challenges.

PS Vita has a smaller screen, and we decided that trying to match the big platform level of detail would be too much on a handheld platform. When you play Urban Trial Freestyle on your PS3, its likely you’ll have a much bigger screen, chilling in a comfortable position in front of the TV, so you can really absorb more elements and events that are taking place in the background. With PS Vita, it’s all about short, portable sessions of play. Thinking from this perspective, we want you to be able to focus on what is happening in the foreground. Of course, both versions have a ton of crazy, intense action happening.

The PS Vita version takes advantage of the platform’s features, like the built-in camera. For instance, gamers can take photos of themselves for their profile. When the top player’s profile is displayed on Billboards placed on tracks next to each of the Stunts (and also on a summary screen at the end of each track both in Stunt Mode and Time Attack), they can actually see their photo on these Billboards. That’s quite cool – imagine that thousands of your fellow players see your photograph on these Billboards! Seeing who is the best for each stunt fosters a more personal, perceptible sense of competition. I remember we had some great moments with this feature at our studio. When you see someone’s happy face on one of these Billboards, then you manage to beat their score and replace their photo with your own grinning mug, it just feels great. Another exciting feature here is that you can narrow the competition only to your friends list, so it can get fiercer and more competitive.

There are also some differences between the two platforms in Challenges mode. For example, in the “Defying Gravity” challenge on PS Vita, a player shifts the whole game system to shift the gravity, whereas on PS3, it’s only the controller that you need to shift — the screen shifts accordingly on TV, so the feeling is a bit different.

Both versions are awesome – we love playing Urban Trial Freestyle on PS3 in the comfort of our homes, and also taking it wherever we go on PS Vita. Both feature addictive, fast paced gameplay action that we think you will love too!

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One of the really cool features in Urban Trial Freestyle for PS Vita and PS3 is the ability to customize your motorbike — but it’s more than just picking out shiny new parts. Bike customization is a key factor that directly affects your performance in both the Stunt and Time Attack Modes. Bike Customization allows you to adjust your bike to best meet the conditions on each of the available tracks.

Urban Trial Freestyle provides you with three main bike components to customize your vehicle — engine, chassis and wheels — customizing these parts influences three main parameters: speed, acceleration and handling. As you advance and unlock more parts, you will ultimately have four engines, four pairs of wheels and four chassis to choose from, giving you altogether a possible of 64 combinations.

If you maximize the speed parameter, you will compromise balance (along with more rigid chassis), so you will perform better in Stunts like Highest or Longest Jump but worse in Flip Meter. When you want to beat a particular Stunt record, the choice is pretty simple and you would focus on one or two factors. For Highest Jump, a good choice would be a powerful engine for maximum speed and a stiff chassis so you don’t lose too much energy when hitting the ramp. On the other hand, when you want to set a new record for the whole track, there are no simple solutions. It depends on the style of your ride and obstacles throughout the track, so there are lots of combinations to try.

Challenges Mode in Urban Trial Freestyle features five additional tracks. In this mode, gameplay on each track is based on twisted mechanisms, and totally different goals to achieve. The key factor here is that you use the skills that you acquired in the Stunt & Time Attack modes, but in totally different and twisted conditions. I don’t want to spoil all the fun and surprise, so I will describe only one of them for you – you’ll need to discover the rest on your own.

The Defying Gravity Challenge lets the player shift gravity with gyroscopes (integrated in both the PS Vita and PS3 versions of the game). This is really fun and twisted gameplay; when you shift the PS Vita or DualShock 3, you can ride on the walls or even ceilings. The goal here is to get to the end of the track in the fastest possible way. However, due to the change of gravity, there are a myriad of ways to do it. Mastering the control of the bike along with the shift in gravity is challenging and, when you achieve it, you can look for the optimal route though the track!

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